Babu Chalamala, an Indian American professor is among a new cohort of endowed chairs and professors celebrated by the University of Texas at Dallas for reaching the pinnacle of academic achievement.
Chalamala and four other professors will be recognized at the university’s 2026 investiture ceremony April 16 in the Edith O’Donnell Arts and Technology Building Lecture Hall.
Chalamala, Jonsson School Distinguished Chair in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering, brings a career defined by the transition from fundamental physics to the massive scale of national energy grids.
His journey began in India, where he earned a BTech in Electronics and Communications Engineering from Sri Venkateswara University. He later moved to North Texas, completing his master’s and doctoral degrees in physics at the University of North Texas.
This academic foundation in India and the U.S. launched a prolific career in both industry and national security research. Before joining the UT Dallas faculty, Chalamala served as a senior scientist at Sandia National Laboratories.
There, he headed the Energy Storage Technology and Systems Department, overseeing the strategic vision for modernizing the U.S. power grid and advancing energy storage manufacturing.
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“This ceremony serves as a celebration of our university’s stellar researchers, teachers, and mentors,” said Dr. Inga H. Musselman, UT Dallas provost and vice president for academic affairs. “It is also an opportunity to salute our donors, who enable us to bring excellent scholars to our campus.”
Chalamala’s professional footprint includes significant tenures at Motorola and Texas Instruments, where his research in vacuum microelectronics helped shape early flat-panel display technologies.
He also held a leadership role as a Corporate Fellow at MEMC Electronic Materials (SunEdison) and has been instrumental in several tech startups focused on lithium battery systems.
As an elected member of the National Academy of Engineering and a Fellow of the National Academy of Inventors, Chalamala is recognized globally for his contributions to power electronics and grid modernization.
His appointment as a Distinguished Chair highlights the university’s commitment to recruiting scholars whose work addresses the world’s most pressing technical challenges.
The investiture ceremony is a symbolic milestone for the university, involving the presentation of a heavy ceremonial medallion to each honoree. For Chalamala, the honor underscores a legacy of innovation that bridges his educational roots in India with his role as a leader in American engineering education and research.